EXCURSIONS

JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA

JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA

Jerez was founded around 2000 years ago, and is famous for it’s flamenco, horses and sherry. Sherry can only be produces in a triangle between, Jerez, El Puerto de Santa María and Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Apart from this, Jerez is in itself a beautiful city with many nice buildings and a lot of attractions.toilets, recreational area, restaurant, bar, etc.

CÁDIZ

CÁDIZ

Cádiz is probably the oldest city in Europe, founded around 1200 BCE. The exceptional location and the many attractions makes it well worth a visit. Located 25 – 30 minutes from Campus El Sabio by car/bus.

PUERTO DE SANTA MARÍA

PUERTO DE SANTA MARÍA

El Puerto has many magnificent beaches, and also has a historic flavor. Amongst others, Christopher Columbus lived and studied here before he discovered America. Located 10 – 15 minutes from Campus El Sabio by car/bus.

THE WHITE VILLAGES

THE WHITE VILLAGES

The White Villages consists of a range of small “pueblos” in the Cádiz mountains. They are all whitewashed, and more often than not with spectacular locations. The most famous are Arcos de la Frontera, Zahara de la Sierra, Setenil de las Bodegas and Grazalema. A visit can easily be done in one day.

SEVILLE

SEVILLE

Majestic Seville needs no further introduction. It has been one of the historically most significant cities throughout the Spanish history. Only in the city centre, there are four monuments on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Around 1 hour by bus or train from Campus El Sabio.

GRANADA

GRANADA

Granada, at the feet of the majestic Sierra Nevada. The Alhambra, a Moorish citadel and palace, is in Granada. It is one of the most famous items of the Islamic historical legacy that makes Granada a hot spot among cultural and tourist cities in Spain. Around 2 ½ – 3 hours from Campus El Sabio.

GIBRALTAR

GIBRALTAR

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. It is a peninsula of 6.843 square kilometres (2.642 sq mi) whose isthmus connects to the north with Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region. At its foot is the densely populated city area, home to almost 30,000 Gibraltarians

CÓRDOBA

CÓRDOBA

Córdoba was an Iberian and Roman city in ancient times, and in the Middle Ages it was capital of an Islamic caliphate. Contains many impressive architectural reminders of when Qurṭuba, the thriving capital of the Caliphate of Córdoba, governed almost all of the Iberian peninsula. It has been estimated that in the latter half of the tenth century, Córdoba was one of the most populous cities in Europe. It is located 2 hours from Campus El Sabio by train.

TANGIER (MOROCCO)

TANGIER (MOROCCO)

Tangier lies just 15 km. from the tip of Spain, crossing the strait of Gibraltar to North-Africa. The history of Tangier is very rich due to the historical presence of many civilizations and cultures starting from the 5th century BC. Between the period of being a Phoenician town to the independence era around the 1950s, Tangier was a place —and, sometimes a refuge— for many culturesExcursions can be done in one day, including visits in the old town to the bazaars.

ALGARVE (PORTUGAL)

ALGARVE (PORTUGAL)

Algarve, on Portugals southern coast, can be reached by bus from Campus El Sabio in about 2 hours. The Algarve is the most popular tourist destination in Portugal, its population more than doubles in the peak holiday season thanks to a high influx of visitors.

ACTIVITIES

ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES

ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES

These are offers aimed at specific topics of study from history and science to tourism and business studies, or Spanish language courses (we can also arrange Spanish language courses with the University of Cádiz

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

Cultural activities include what is typical for the region: Mediterranean cuisine, flamenco, visiting breeding places of fighting bulls and horses, Spanish guitar, etc.

LEISURE ACTIVITIES

LEISURE ACTIVITIES

Arabic baths, beach excursions, winery tours , Spanish football matches, are just a few of the leisure activities available.

Carnival, Holy Week, Spring Fair, Jerez Horse Fair…

EVENTS AND FESTIVALS

Febraury

The Carnival of Cádiz is one of the best-known carnivals in the world. The whole city participates in the carnival for more than two weeks each year, and the presence of this fiesta is almost constant in the city because of the rehearsals, recitals, and contests held throughout the year. It is a widely-held opinion that the city of Cádiz is blessed with the wittiest people in Spain, so it is not surprising that the main characteristics of the carnival in Cádiz are the acerbic criticisms, the droll plays on words, stinging sarcasm, and the irreverence of parody. While some carnivals, elsewhere in the world, stress the spectacular, the glamorous, or the scandalous in costumes, Cádiz distinguishes itself with the sheer cleverness and fertile imagination of its carnival attire. It is traditional to paint the face as a humble substitute for a mask. It is easy to get involved in the fiesta even if one is a visitor and knows no Spanish. On Saturday, everyone wears a costume, which, many times, is related to the most polemical aspects of the news. However, the Carnival of Cádiz is most famous for the satirical groups of performers called chirigotas. Their music and their lyrics are at the center of the carnival.

March

Holy Week (Semana Santa) normally takes place in March, and occasionally in April. The Passion of Christ, or Easter Week, known in Spain as Semana Santa is the most important celebration in the country. The festivities begin with the Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) and end with Lunes de Pascua (Easter Monday). It is a celebration of life itself and the whole country comes alive. The Catholic Church in Spain is passionate about Easter celebrations.

​April

The Seville Spring Fair, La Feria de abril de Sevilla, is held in the Andalusian capital of Seville, Spain. The fair generally begins two weeks after the Semana Santa, or Easter Holy Week. The fair officially begins at midnight on Monday, and runs six days, ending on the following Sunday. During past fairs, however, many activities have begun on the Saturday prior to the official opening. Each day the fiesta begins with the parade of carriages and riders, at midday, carrying Seville’s leading citizens which make their way to the bullring, La Real Maestranza, where the bullfighters and breeders meet. For the duration of the fair, the fairgrounds and a vast area on the far bank of the Guadalquivir River are totally covered in rows of casetas (individual decorated marquee tents which are temporarily built on the fairground). Some of these casetas belong to the prominent families of Seville, some to groups of friends, clubs, trade associations or political parties. From around nine at night until six or seven the following morning, at first in the streets and later only within each caseta, you will find crowds partying and dancing “Sevillanas”, drinking Jerez sherry, or manzanilla wine, and eating tapas.

May

The Jerez Horse Fair (Feria de Caballo) is an exciting and lively event that brings the entire city to the Gonzalo Hontoria Fairgrounds, which cover 52,000 square metres, giving ample space for the finest horses of Jerez as synonymous with the city as sherry and flamenco, to show off their moves to the crowds who flock to the casetas which, unlike Seville’s, are open to the public, and other attractions. The history of the Jerez Horse Fair goes back over 500 years, to the commercial livestock fairs that were established in April and September, in the time when Jerez was just a small town back during the reign of Alfonso X El Sabio (the Wise). In May the Spanish Moto Grand Prix normally also takes place in Jerez, attracting bikers from all over Europe, with enormous crowds to the city centre and the province in general.

July

July is the most important month for bullfighting in El Puerto Santa María.

Bullfighting in El Puerto de Santa María, is one of the strongest and deeply rooted traditions in Spain. El Puerto de Santa Maria has an old prestige for bullfights. Already before the times of Pepe Hillo or Pedro Romero from Ronda, it had well rooted its fame for bullfighting in the city: the old bullring in Galeras Square which replaced the older one of scaffoldings in Polvorista Square and that was an advance of wooden bullrings in the same place where today we find the stone, iron and brick bullring, built at the end of the 19th century; one of the most beautiful bullrings in all of Spain.

The building is a regular polygon of 60 sides, with a diameter of 99.8 metres; this surface area is distributed as follows; an external gallery, above a second and third gallery where the royal and the presidential boxes are found and the covered stands, also the 16 stone seated sections known as “Tendidos”; it has a capacity for over twelve thousand people. The arena is 60 meters in diameter, one of the widest that exists. It is separated from the public by a two meter alley with a barrier. The management of its construction was carried out by the “Bullring Company”, presided over by D. Tomás Osborne and Bölh de Faber, descendant of the family of “Fernán-Caballero” the illustrious writer. To mark the centenary celebrations of the bullring, another ceramic tile was placed in front of the one that reminds us of the unforgettable sentence of Joselito “El Gallito”. It was inaugurated on the 5th and 6th of June 1880 with two bullfights in which Antonio Carmona Gordito, of Seville, and the Cordovan Rafael Molina Lagartijo, fought bulls from the ranch of Anastasio Martín and of Saltillo. ” Bordador “, was the name of the first bull that was fought in the bullring, and its crowned head can still be seen in the Reception Room.

August

Sanlucar de Barrameda, neighbouring city of Jerez, is famous for its horse racing which dates back to 1845 and takes place along a 1,800m stretch of beach at the mouth of the Río Guadalquivir during the month of August, daily from 6.00 pm, on the 2nd and 4th weekends of the month (Thursday to Sunday). This is a thrilling spectacle where real racehorses thunder across the sand watched by a large noisy crowd of spectators. There is nothing amateur about this event and you can expect to see spectator stands, bookmakers, paddocks and of course the winners enclosure. Now an international event with horses from other European countries taking part and many famous names amongst the spectators.

September

Jerez’s sherry festival takes place on the first Saturday of September every year. Known locally as the Autumn Fiestas, Fiestas de Otoño, this is a three week party involving sherry, horses and flamenco. The origin of the festival is the annual celebration of the grape harvest. The festivities kick off with a flying start as the Andalusian -usually eye-catching – queen of the vintage occupies her seat of honour with her handmaidens in tow. This queen of sherry, responsible for every auntie’s favourite aperitif, is raised onto her glorious wagon draped with all manner of pleats, flora and succulent grapes. Within a very short time children tail the cart, hoping to catch sweets and goodies tossed into the air from mask-wearing courtiers. The masses converge on the Plaza de Arenal to pay further respects to the queen as the bodegas (sherry houses) let the sherry flow.

December
Zambombas and flamenco christmas celebrations

The zambomba is a Christmas gathering of people in the shape of a circle (relatives, neighbors, friends) that sings typical flamenco Christmas carols. Its name comes from the typical Christmas instrument called the zambomba, which marks the beat. The zambomba appears mainly in Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) where it is said to have originated, but in time it has spread to other Andalusian towns. You will find them all over Jerez during the month of December. The earliest known collections of these songs date from the XV and XVI centuries. Apparently in Jerez de la Frontera zambombas were organized from the XVIII century onwards. These were simply gatherings of friends, neighbours, and relatives who met each year on Christmas eve in the patios and corrals of communal dwelling-places and farm labourers’ quarters. Huddled round a campfire they would form a chorus and sing and dance villancicos, in a purely spontaneous manner and for an indefinite time, while the wine, anisette, and punch flowed freely and Christmas sweets were passed out. The basic instrument is the zambomba, hence the name of the celebration. These zambombas are usually the work of an artesan, being a clay vessel covered with animal skin – usually goat – or some sort of thin material. In the center of the covering a long cane is secured which produces a deep sound when rubbed with the hand and this is what forms the rhythmic basis for the villancicos.

In the Zambomba there is a fundamental difference in contrast to the rest of flamenco fiestas, since it is a celebration with a strong element of participation. While in other fiestas there is a clear separation between the participants – singers, guitarists, and dancers – in the Zambombas everyone joins in singing or playing some instrument. In this way the individualistic nature of cante flamenco is lost, becoming a choral type of singing with a flamenco sound. “It is this difference that has caused villancicos to sound so flamenco, to the extent that many aficionados believe that villancicos are in the process of becoming another flamenco form, as occurred with the saeta” according to some.